Minimum wage won't be on Kansas City's April ballot

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City residents will not vote in April on a proposed minimum wage increase.

A Jackson County Circuit Court judge on Tuesday denied an effort to put the minimum wage ordinance on the April 4 ballot, saying the issue needed to go through the city's ordinance approval processes.

The Kansas City Star reports Judge Margene Burnett said she also has no authority to order the ordinance placed on the August ballot. She said it was up to the city to ensure the proposal gets through the process to be available for the August ballot.

Voters would be asked to decide whether the city should raise its minimum wage of $10 per hour annually until it reaches $15 in 2021.